The ongoing almost-war-like situation between Iran and the Israel-US bloc is now directly impacting the wallet of the common Indian traveller. Crude oil supply disruptions have sent aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices soaring, forcing airlines to impose fuel surcharges—and the consequences are now clearly visible. In recent times, air ticket prices on almost every major domestic route have increased by 30 to 35 per cent. Recently, ATF prices for domestic airlines increased by 8.5 percent. Since ATF accounts for 35 to 45 percent of an airline’s total operating expenses, whenever fuel becomes expensive, ticket prices directly increase; Now anyone can clearly see how deeply it is affecting the general public.
Flights from Delhi: past and current prices
Looking at air tickets booking for April 16, the cheapest non-stop ticket from Delhi to Goa is currently starting at ₹8,384. On IndiGo, prices for the same route range between ₹9,038 to ₹11,098. Just a few weeks ago, the same ticket could be bought for between ₹4,500 and ₹6,000; Moreover, if one tries to book for the very next day, one can see the prices reaching up to ₹15,000. The situation is even worse for flights from Delhi to Bengaluru; Prices reached ₹12,596 on April 16, and the cost for next-day bookings rose to between ₹15,000 and ₹17,000.
What will be the ticket prices from Jaipur?
On the Jaipur-Bengaluru route, prices have seen an increase of up to 30 per cent, ranging from a low of ₹11,568 to a high of ₹24,129. Prices for flights from Jaipur to Ahmedabad range from ₹7,036 to ₹12,443—which is 15 percent higher than last year. The Jaipur-Mumbai route is about 10 per cent more expensive, with prices ranging from ₹6,305 to ₹13,481. For Jaipur to Goa flights, the starting fare is ₹13,128; However, the demand is so high right now that it has become difficult to even put an upper limit on the fare. Passengers of Ranchi and Nagpur are also facing difficulties.
Ranchi to Delhi airfare—which used to be between ₹8,000 and ₹10,000 on normal days—has now increased to between ₹12,000 and ₹15,000. Mumbai ticket prices have increased to the range of ₹14,000–₹16,000. Kolkata fares currently range between ₹8,000 to ₹10,000, while Hyderabad fares range between ₹10,000 to ₹13,000. Nagpur to Delhi fare increased from ₹10,228 to ₹13,495 in just one day; The special thing is that just a few weeks ago, the same ticket was available for ₹ 5,500 to ₹ 6,000.
The fare from Chandigarh to Bengaluru, which was ₹12,000 till March 31, has now increased to ₹16,000. A ticket from Chennai to Hyderabad—which usually costs ₹6,000—sold for up to ₹19,000 late last week. Kochi fares tripled from ₹4,000 to as high as ₹18,000. From March 14, IndiGo has imposed a fuel surcharge on all domestic and international tickets, ranging between ₹425 to ₹2,300 per seat, depending on the route. Air India and Air India Express have implemented a fuel surcharge of ₹399 on domestic tickets from March 12. Akasa Air has also added its surcharge from March 15.
Fuel Surcharge: Another Extra Fee
IndiGo has implemented a new surcharge system from April 2. On domestic routes, an additional charge of between ₹275 to ₹950 will be levied depending on the distance covered. Air India and Akasa Air have also imposed similar surcharges. Now passengers will have to pay ₹275 on shorter routes like Delhi to Lucknow; ₹600 on Mumbai to Kolkata routes; ₹800 on Bengaluru to Hyderabad routes; And on routes going to Chennai, you will have to pay an additional Rs 950. There is no relief at all in case of international flights. Fuel surcharges ranging from ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 are being imposed on Gulf and Middle East routes, while for Europe and the UK this surcharge increases to ₹10,000. Until the crisis related to Iran ends and the supply of crude oil returns to normal levels, no reduction in airfares is expected. While the government has provided some relief to domestic airlines—ensuring that the entire burden of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) costs are not passed on to passengers—no such protection exists for international routes. As of now, the sooner you book your tickets, the better.
